


I Need My Girl

by shesnotme681



Category: Coronation Street
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 03:50:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14204412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shesnotme681/pseuds/shesnotme681
Summary: Rana fears she's coming down with flu on the night of her first proper date with Kate.





	1. Chapter 1

The clock above the door inside Room 1 at Weatherfield’s NHS office read 16:42. Rana had just seen to her twelfth patient of the day. There’d been a sprained ankle. A concussion. A few possible flu cases. The rest anxiously fearing the flu, but suffering merely a variation of the common cold. Slumped over at her desk chair, elbows planted on the desk before her with her hands cradling her damp forehead, Rana felt worse for wear herself. All day long she’d been fighting a losing battle against fatigue. Three empty cups of Costa coffee were piled up in the trash can beside her, along with quite a few tissues and packets of Emergen-C. 

“You’ve just caught a bit of a cold. Pull yourself together,” Rana hissed at herself, cautioning a glance at the clock. 16:46. Maybe she’d had her last patient of the day after all. But then her desk phone went off.

“Yes.”

“Kate’s here. Shall I send her through?” trilled Moira. Usually Rana would have been over the moon to get a surprise visit from Kate. But she felt like garbage and knew she must have looked a right mess as well. 

“Ahh… I’m… I’m just filling out um… the report for the last patient.”

“But your last patient…”

“Just ask her to give me 5?”

“Okay… she says okay, but to hurry up.”

“Right.” Rana hung up the phone and went over the mirror on the other side of the room. Hurriedly, she fixed her hair before grabbing her purse. Out came some eyeliner and some blush. A couple minutes later and Rana was satisfied. She didn’t think she looked great, but a bit more alive anyway. With a shrug of her shoulders, she went over to the door and pulled it open. 

“Kate Connor?” a sly smile breaking out upon her delicate features. Kate returned with a cheeky smile of her own as she got up and came towards the room. Once the door was closed, Kate pulled Rana in for a quick kiss before taking her customary seat inside the office.

“I’ve missed you.”

“Have you just?”   


“I have indeed.”

“Didn’t you bring me ‘round a coffee this morning?”

“I did. But you got to watch me walk away. So, really, it’s been a bit longer I’ve gone without seeing you than you me.” Rana, sitting on the edge of her desk, leaned down and smiled into an obliging kiss. 

“You’re right. I’m terribly sorry.”

“Annyyyway, I came to confirm in person that we’re still on for tonight?” 

Tonight was to be Kate and Rana’s first proper date. There’d be no covert candlelit dinners in the bistro, no quick shags at Michelle and Robert’s. No dodgy stir fries at Kate’s while Alya was out or Imran-chaperoned movie nights at his place. Tonight, they were heading into town. Just the two of them. Kate had chosen a small Italian restaurant that was sure to be romantic, but not too fussy. A perfect first date for the two women who were already so deeply in love. 

“Of course we’re still on, babe. You’re changing though, aren’t you?” Kate offered a side-eye in return, playing with the zipper of her hoodie.

“Oh, don’t you worry about it. Just be at the tram stop at 19:00 sharp.”

“Yes, ma’am.” As Kate rose, she gave Rana a parting kiss before striding through the door. Behind her, she left a Rana that was equal parts euphoric and exhausted. Pretending she felt well had taken a lot out of her. She wondered how on earth she was going to get through the rest of the night, but she knew for certain that she’d make sure she did. 

  
  


###

  
  


After leaving work, Rana had rushed back to the Nazirs’ to squeeze in a quick nap before showering and getting ready for her date. She couldn’t be sure whether her flu fears were as unfounded as the majority of her patients’ or if it was mere adrenaline at the prospect of going out on a proper date with Kate, but Rana felt far more like herself as she walked over to the tram stop. Kate was already there, leaning against a light post in a pair of black leather pants and a black wool coat. Changed, she had. “Well hello, sexy,” Rana cooed as she approached Kate, who whipped around at the address. 

“Well hello, sexy yourself,” Kate replied, taking in the sight of her girlfriend in her jeans and white top. Rana saw that look in Kate’s eyes that had become familiar to her over the last few months, that look that said she wanted her then and there. 

“Careful, Kate,” Rana teased. “Wouldn’t do for you to jump me in the middle of the street.” Kate rolled her eyes. 

“You’ll be the death of me, woman. Come on then,” Kate said, leading Rana to the tram. 

Over the course of the ride into Manchester, Rana started to feel more and more unwell. Discretely, she kept running her coat sleeve over her dampening brow, hoping that maybe it was just the heat of the packed car. But, alas, that wasn’t the case.

As they settled into a booth towards the back of the small restaurant, Kate slid over towards Rana so that they were shoulder to shoulder. “Rana!” she exclaimed. 

“What?” Rana thought that maybe a spider had fallen into her hair. Or maybe Kate had just now noticed that she was wearing an earring she had “borrowed” from her the other week.

“You’re burning up!” 

“What? Oh, no, no I’m just warm from the train.” 

“When I saw you wiping your brow I thought that’s all it was, but Rana your throwing heat off your whole body. Aren’t you a nurse?” 

“Kate, listen, I’m fine. Really. Let’s check out this menu. ” As Rana picked up a menu and began scanning it for options, Kate’s eyes were squinted and appraising her with skepticism. She could now see the red around Rana’s nose and the glassiness of her eyes. She didn’t look all that fine to her. Before Kate could raise her concerns again, the waiter came over and Rana ordered a bottle of red and asked for Kate’s opinion of her starter choices: calamari and a caprese salad. Unthinkingly, Kate agreed. “I was thinking we could split the squid ink linguini dish and braciole for the mains?” Kate grimaced. “The squid ink?” 

“Not too keen on eating black pasta, am I?” Rana laughed. 

“Okay then, you pick something else, but I say we get a side of it. I think you’ll like it if you give it a chance."

“Fine. We’re getting chicken parm though.” 

“Deal.”

The plates clean. The bottle of wine nearly done. The two women were happy and full. “I’m happy we did this,” said Rana. “It was nice to feel like a proper couple.” Kate reached over under the table to grab Rana’s hand. 

“Me too,” she said, giving Rana a chaste kiss on the cheek. Though Rana smiled at the small show of public affection, Kate was alarmed. “Rana, you really are on fire. We need to get you home asap.” 

“But I don’t want this to end!” 

“We’ll have more dates, babe… if you don’t succumb to this flu you’re ignoring.”  Kate quickly paid the waiter, ignoring Rana’s protests. On the tram ride back, Rana fell asleep on Kate’s shoulder. When it pulled into the Weatherfield station, it took quite a bit of effort for Kate to wake Rana and guide her off and onto the street. She was looking worse than ever. 

“Yeah, I think I’m a bit ill,” conceded Rana in a small raspy whisper as she walked alongside Kate, her arms wrapped around her shivering body. 

“Mmm,” said Kate with a look of disapproval. “I wish you could come back to mine so I could take care of you.” 

“Oh yeah? Have you a nice bedside manner, Ms. Connor?” 

“Always with the jokes, you. I’ll have you know I can whip up a nice chicken soup.” 

“From a can or carton?” 

“Oi!” 

“I’m sorry. I know. I wish I could come to yours too. It’s just, Zee…” 

“Yeah, and the rotten deal. I know. Let’s get you back then.”

Rana opened the door to the Nazirs’ to find Zeedan waiting up on the couch. “Date ended a bit early didn’t it?” 

“I’m not feeling well, Zee.” 

“So Kate made you stay out when you’re sick?” 

“She tried to get me to go home earlier, actually. I’m going to bed. Night, Zee.” After Rana changed into her pajamas and slid under the covers, she checked her phone on the bedside table. There was a message from Kate: “Get some rest babe. I’ll stop over tomorrow to check in on you. Gotta make sure I get that second date. ;) Love you.” Rana smiled at the note before returning the love you and letting her head fall to the pillow. 

Rana was awoken the next morning by a soft knock on the door. “Come in,” she croaked, not recognizing her own voice. It was Zee. 

“Hey, I made ya a brew. Sorry for how I behaved last night.” Too weak to fight, Rana accepted the brew with a thanks. “I’m going to be around all day, so, just let me know if you need anything.” 

A few hours later, Rana smelled some soup and shuffled down the stairs. “If it isn’t the walking infirmed,” Zee said cheerily from the kitchen. “Got a soup going. Will you have some?”

“Sure why not,” said Rana, grateful but wishing someone else was making the soup. Speaking of Kate, Rana was surprised that Kate had yet to pop around or even to so much as message her. “Anyone stop by while I was asleep?” asked Rana. Rana could tell by Zeedan’s posture that the question stung him. He knew that by “anyone” she meant Kate. 

“No,” he said, turning to her. “You should be under a blanket you know.” 

“Oi, I’m the nurse.” 

“And don’t nurses and doctors make the worst patients?” The joke earned a weak laugh from Rana, who curled herself up on the couch.

 

###

 

As soon as Kate woke up she had texted Rana to see how she was feeling. She didn’t get a response, but figured the sick woman was probably still sound asleep. She decided she’d take an early break and stop by with some soup from the bistro. It might make for an awkward run-in with Zeedan, but what was she to do. Before she could ring the buzzer at the Nazirs’, Zeedan stepped out to meet her on the landing. 

“What do  _ you _ want?” 

“Well, Rana’s sick. I wanted to see how she was doing.” 

“Yeah, I know she’s sick. After a night out with you.” 

“Zee, come on, just let me through.” 

“She’s sleeping.” 

“I’ll only be a minute and then I’ll be out of your hair. You said you understood we were going to be together.” 

“I told you she’s sleeping. You really want to wake her up when she’s got the flu?” 

“Fine, Zeedan. Can you just give her the soup and tell her I stopped by?” 

“Sure.” 

“Thanks,” said Kate. As she was leaving, Kate sent Rana a message letting her know she’d just stopped by. And then another message checking in a couple hours later. Was Rana ignoring her?

Rana, with a lack of a better option, spent the better part of the afternoon with Zee watching bad movies as he kept her supplied with water, tea, soup, and blankets. It was nice to not be at each other’s throats. Maybe there was hope for a friendship between them after all. 

“I’m surprised Kate hasn’t come to see you,” Zeedan said to her, seemingly out of the blue. The comment reignited Rana’s own confusion about that very fact, but she wasn’t going to give that up to Zee. 

“Oh, she’s probably just busy at the bistro.” 

“Doesn’t she get a lunch break?” 

“Maybe it was too busy for her to leave.” 

“Hm, still a bit weird, no?” 

“What do you care anyway?” 

“I don’t. Not really. How about another cuppa?” Rana looked into her nearly empty mug. 

“Please. Thanks.”

While Zee went into the kitchen to put the kettle on, Rana pulled out her phone again. Still nothing. This wasn’t like Kate at all. Maybe she should just text Kate herself. She went into her contacts and beside Kate’s name read: “Blocked.” How did that happen, Rana wondered. Maybe when she was delirious in the middle of the night? Unblocking Kate’s number, a few messages came through. One in particular caught Rana’s eye: “Hey babe just stopped by to see you but Zee said you were still sleeping. Gave him some soup for when you get up. Hope you’re starting to feel better!” 

That message had come at noon, when she was very much awake. The most recent message read: “Hope your phone (and you) are alive woman. Going to come around again after my shift.” Rana checked the time. Kate’s shift ended about five minutes ago, which meant she was probably… Just then the doorbell rang and Zeedan hightailed it out of the kitchen and towards the door. 

“I’ll get it,” he said, looking at Rana. “Probably just Robert about something to do with the boxing match.” Zeedan opened the door and quickly pulled it shut behind him, but not before Rana caught a glimpse of a brown ponytail. She got up and stormed over to the door, blanket still pulled around her shoulders. 

“Zeedan, what in the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?” she shouted, pulling the door open wide. 

“You’re sick Rana, go lie down.” 

“Let Kate in now.” 

“Rana…” 

“Zee, unless you want me to cause a scene right now on the street…” 

“Fine, fine…,” Zee said, stepping aside. Kate strided over to Rana, placing a hand on either of her shoulders to take her in. 

“Are you feeling any better? I was gettin’ a bit worried since you weren’t replying to my messages. Do you want me to run out and get you anything?” 

“Yes, a bit better anyway. And even better now you’re here.” 

“Still want that brew?” Zeedan called from the other room. 

“No.” 

“Bit ungrateful don’t you think, Rana? Been waiting on you hand and foot all day.” Rana ignored him and turned to Kate. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t reply earlier. You were blocked in my phone.” Rana peered over towards Zee. 

“You think he…” 

“Yes, the sneaky little… I can’t believe him. Think I can stay at yours tonight?” 

“Of course. I’d love for you to,” said Kate. “Do you think it’s wise though? With Alya and…” 

“Alya’s in Birmingham with Yasmeen til tomorrow night. Besides, after this, I’m done with this sham. He thinks he can hide me away… I’m done with it, Kate,” said Rana, ignoring Kate’s stunned expression. “Come on, help me pack a bag.”

When the girls returned downstairs, they found Zeedan on the couch. “Where do you two think you’re going?” 

“I’m staying at Kate’s. I can’t stand the sight of you.” 

“That’s not part of the deal,” said Zeedan, confidently rocking back on his heels.

“Neither is you trying to sabotage my relationship with Kate.” 

“Relationship?” 

“Yes, relationship.” 

“Whatever. Make sure you’re back for tea. Yasmeen and Alya will be back then.” 

Turning to Kate, Rana said, “Let’s go.”

The exertion required to get from the Nazirs’ to Kate’s flat took a lot out of Rana, who Kate immediately got set up on the couch before putting a kettle on and smothering her with blankets. As Kate busied herself finding a pair of clean cups, Rana popped her head up over the couch. 

“Forget the tea, woman. Just come here. All I want is a cuddle.” Kate laughed and headed towards her. 

“Should we talk about what you said. About you scrapping the deal? Did you mean it?” 

“I meant it, Kate.” 

“So are you…” 

“Do you mind if we save the logistics for tomorrow? I  _ am _ sick and all.” 

“Fine. Find something to watch on Netflix while I get changed. Not all of us have spent all day in sweatpants,” she said, giving Rana a quick kiss on the forehead before changing. When she got back in the living room, she saw Rana had on the pilot for  _ Everything Sucks _ . “Good baby gay choice there, babe.” 

“Shut up and spoon me.” Kate obliged and soon had her body curled around Rana’s.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya returns from Birmingham early to find an unexpected guest at her flat. How does she react?

Neither Kate nor Rana heard the door open. They’d fallen asleep on the couch. At first, Alya didn’t see them, just the unused cups tossed aside on the counter. She didn’t think much of them as she went towards her room to put her bags down — and then she saw Rana’s green coat. Wondering if maybe Rana was stopping in to see Kate before work, she went over towards her roommate’s bedroom door. That’s when she laid her eyes on her sister-in-law and one of her closest friends more or less on top of one another on the couch. During the night, Kate had maneuvered onto her back, and Rana was wrapped around her like a koala, her head on Kate’s chest with Kate’s arms keeping her snugly in place and her face in her mussed up black hair, vague blissful smiles pulling at both of their sleepy mouths. 

“Oi!” Both Kate and Rana jumped at the sound. Rana almost fell onto the ground before Kate caught her, pulling Rana back on top of herself in the process. “What's this? What are you two doing? Hello?” Alya demanded, as Rana and Kate attempted to shuffle into slightly less compromising positions. 

“Alya,” started Kate. “We just fell asleep watching Netflix. Have you seen  _ Everything Sucks _ ? Great show, isn’t it Rana? You should check it out.” Alya was still glaring. “It’s about…”

“Kate, stop," interjected Rana. "Alya… Alya, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” 

“Tell me _what_ exactly? That you’ve been cheating on my brother. Cheating on my brother with a woman? My roommate? One of our mates?” 

“No, well... yes. But, it’s not what you think. I love her. We love each other.” 

“You’ve _got_ to be joking me.” Alya walked away from them and picked her jacket off the hook. “I can’t believe you. I can’t believe either of you,” Alya said as she stormed out of the flat. Rana and Kate exchanged a look, dumbfounded. Rana broke the silence. 

“Well, guess that cat’s out of the bag.” Kate rolled her eyes exasperatedly. 

“You’re not upset?” 

“I mean I’d have rathered she found out differently, but it was never going to go all that well no matter what, was it?” 

“True, I guess. Where do you think she’s going?” 

“Probably to go tell Zeedan.” 

 

##

 

After leaving the flat, Alya headed straight over to her grandmother’s house. “Zeedan?” asked a confused Yasmeen. 

“It’s Alya. Where is he?” 

“He was working out and then heading over to the Bistro with Robert. What’s wrong, dear? You look a bit frazzled.” 

“Rana’s cheating on my brother. I’ve got to go tell him," Alya spit out before peeling back out the door before Yasmeen could stop her.

“Alya, wait!” Yasmeen called after Alya, who’d already started charging down the street. Yasmeen scrambled to find her shoes, keys, and jacket, pulling her phone out to call Rana. “I don’t know where you are, but Alya is about to tell Zeedan you're cheating on him. You might want to get to the Bistro to clear the air before there’s a scene.”

 

##

 

“Kate, we got to go. Alya is going to the Bistro to talk to Zeedan," said Rana as steadily as she could. She was more anxious about how out of control everything seemed to be getting so quickly than she was betraying to Kate.

“What are we going to be able to do about it?” 

“I don’t know... Maybe calm them down before she shouts about it to the whole _street?!_ ” answered Rana, losing some of her calm.

When they got to the Bistro, Alya was sitting at the bar waiting for an orange juice. “You two have some nerve,” she snarled when she saw them. 

Before they could say anything back, Zeedan walked in the door with Robert. He took in the sight of his estranged wife, still in the sweats from yesterday. His wife’s girlfriend. And his sister, looking on the verge of a meltdown. Looking past Rana and Kate, Zeedan addressed Alya. “You’re back early.” 

“Mmm. Yep, you weren’t the only one  _ surprised  _ to see me this morning.” 

“Alya, you look tired, why don’t we go back to gran’s.” 

“Do you know what these two have been doing behind your back?” she asked, finger pointed and wagging at a frozen Kate and Rana.

“Alya, lower your voice please.” 

“I mean I warned you she was a maneater. Can’t say I saw this coming though.” 

“Alya, please.” 

“Cheating on my brother with Kate! I never.. ” 

“Alya!” 

At this point, everyone in the Bistro turned and stared at Kate and Rana, both of whom were unsure of how to proceed. Before either of them could think of a thing to say, the door behind them opened again and in came Rosie and Sophie. “Sophie!” shouted Alya. “Still wondering why Kate kicked you out of our apartment before you could unpack your bags?” 

“Alya!” Sophie chastised. 

“Wonder why she dumped you for no good reason?” 

“Alya stop it, alright,” Rosie pleaded. 

“She’s been shagging Rana.” 

“What?” Sophie and Rosie echoed, looking over at the guilty pair. Then, Kate snapped out of it. 

“Alya, you don’t know the half of it. Stop running your mouth off to the whole street about something you know nothing about. Rana and I fell in love. We tried to fight it. We tried really hard, but…” 

“But we love each other and we’re going to be together. And Zeedan knows. He’s known for months,” added Rana.

“Months?” 

“Yeah, but not when they were messing around last year,” chimed in Zeedan.

Yasmeen burst through the doors. “Alya, Zeedan, Rana…. Kate, get yourselves to my house. Now.” As the three quickly headed Yasmeen's call, Kate hung back a bit and stopped on her way out to say a word to Sophie. 

“Soph, I’m really sorry. I  _ was _ trying to give us a real go. I ended things as soon as I knew there might be another shot with Rana. I’m so sorry. I’ll explain more later.” Sophie looked at Kate, still in shock before giving her a small nod of understanding. 

“Go on.”

When Kate entered the Nazirs', it seemed as though Alya had turned her rage on Zeedan. “...  didn't think I could handle it? I’m you’re big sister!”

"But ya had just lost Luke, Alya!” 

“You’ve known for that long?” 

“Luke knew even earlier.” 

“Luke knew?!” 

“He caught them in the van.” 

“In Speed Daal? In your van? Was it that day…” 

“It broke down. Yes,” said Rana, running her fingers through her hair. “We made him swear not to tell you.” 

“He knew a few weeks before that actually,” Kate added, rambling unhelpfully. “I told him outright after I hit Robert with the car. But, we, Rana and I, had ended things at that point before they ever really started.” 

Shaking her head as if to get the cobwebs out, Alya asked, “So before the wedding then, yeah?” 

“Yes,” said Rana. “But, like Kate said, it didn’t go anywhere.” 

“And then you started up again.” 

“After we both knew how much we loved each other. Then I struggled to tell Zeedan, because, you have to believe me, Alya, I never meant to hurt him. Then Luke died. And it was all too much.” 

“And you went to Devon,” said Alya, turning to Kate. “And that’s why you were such a mess the night of the wedding.” Kate nodded her head yes. 

“You’ve got to see, Alya, we both tried to move past it. I tried to give things a real shot with Sophie. I thought Rana and Zeedan were trying to make their marriage work.” 

“But we weren’t. Not after I told Zeedan the truth after Luke’s funeral,” said Rana.  

“What do you mean?” asked Alya. Breaking into the conversation, Yasmeen looked to Alya and said, “You’re brother brokered a deal with the Habeeb’s. In exchange for him not telling the community about Rana’s… indiscretion... and keeping up the appearance of a marriage for at least a year, they’d foot the bill for getting his cafe up and running. They've been pretending to still be happily married.” 

Alya, absorbing the additional shocking news, shook her head. “Zeedan? This true?” 

“I deserved something out of this, didn’t I?” 

“This is just  _ so much _ to take in,” said Alya, the energetic rage being replaced by tired confusion. A few moments of silence passed as Alya continued to process. Zeedan escaped upstairs. Yasmeen wandered out to the orangery. Alya, now seated in a chair, looked over at Kate and Rana on the couch, noting how close they were to each other. Every once in a while she could see one of them checking in on the other with a look, or one of them lifting a hand to offer some sort of physical reassurance before knowingly holding back. This was mad. She’d never seen this coming. But then… “Imogen.” 

“Huh?”

“What?” 

“Imogen,” Alya repeated, looking at Rana. Rana offered a sheepish smile. 

“I was jealous. I didn’t know that’s what it was at first, that I fancied Kate.” 

“You didn’t know?” 

“Or I didn’t _want_ to know. Regardless, once Imogen said it, said I fancied Kate… there was nothing else I knew with more certainty.” 

“Then why’d you still marry Zeedan?” 

“There’s no good answer to that. There’s no excuse. I was scared. I was scared of my own feelings. I was scared of whether or not Kate felt the same way. I was scared of breaking Zeedan’s heart. But I did know my heart, and that should have been enough. I shouldn’t have waited so long to talk to Zeedan. And I shouldn’t have agreed to this deal.” 

“This deal is disgusting,” said Alya, with real antipathy in her voice. Both Kate and Rana looked up at her. “Don’t get me wrong, what you both did was awful. I still don’t like that you all were sneaking around. But this deal is not the answer to punish you. If you’re gay, well, you’re gay. Are you gay?” 

“Honestly, I don’t know. I love Kate more than I’ve ever loved anyone. It feels different. Maybe. Maybe I’m gay. So much has been going on I haven’t had a minute to… to…” 

“Rana, it’s okay,” Kate interrupted. “It’s not important right now.” Rana took a deep breath and looked up. 

“Alya, I really am sorry. You’re whole family means so much to me.” 

“I know.”

 

###

 

Back at the Bistro, Sophie and Rosie had slid into a booth. Without being asked, Michelle came over with a tea for Rosie and a pint and a shot for Sophie. Rosie thanked Michelle for the both of them. Sophie picked up the shot without a word and then took a long pull from the pint glass. “ _ Rana _ ?!” 

“She speaks.” 

“ _ Rana _ , Rosie? Of all the women on the street…” 

“Surprising little one, she is.” 

“She seems  _ so _ straight!” 

“Not the best gaydar have you, little sis?” 

“Shut up, Rosie.” 

“She is gorgeous though.” 

“Yeah, no wonder I never stood a chance.” 

“Aw, come on now Soph. Seems to me they’d fallen literally head over heels for each other ages before you and Kate had a thing.” 

“I guess so, but still. And poor Zeedan.” 

“He’ll be fine. He’s young and kind of hunky. Got that sexy chef thing going on. Maybe if he makes something of himself, I’ll give him a call.” 

“ _ Rosie _ !” 

“What?!”

 

###

 

Kate had decided to head back to the flat so that Rana and the Nazirs could have more of a family discussion. She was thankful to find it empty. It had been days since Craig had come by, and she was beginning to wonder if he was planning on moving out after all. She’d worry about that later. She made herself a quick butty and put the kettle on. It had been a long morning. When she was halfway through her meager meal, Alya came through the door. 

“Rana told me what happened last night. Why she came here to sleep. She's packing up some things to stay here again tonight,” said Alya, sitting down across from Kate. 

“I think he’s still hoping there’s a chance,” said Kate cautiously, waiting for another reprimand from Alya. But it didn’t come.

“I haven’t known about you two for long. But, seeing you now, and hindsight and all that, doesn’t look like he does have a chance.” 

“I tried to fight it, Alya," said Kate, feeling a bit of relief. "I knew there was something between us, that I could fall for her, way before all that drama with Imogen. But she was off limits for all of the obvious reasons.”

“You knew you fancied her back then?” 

“More like I just felt a pull towards her, you know?” 

Alya nodded, “Sure.” 

“But I also knew that it would never go anywhere, and I was more than happy to have her as a good friend. I was as shocked as anyone when she kissed me and told me she had feelings for me.” 

“Yeah, she said as much.” 

“And then before I knew it, I was a goner.” Alya smirked. 

“You were weren’t you? You showing up at gran’s all sloshed and emo after the wedding. What was that you said when I walked in on you and Rana in the orangery?” 

“Huh?... Can’t say I remember.” 

“I think it was… ‘I’m drunk and she’s married.’” 

“Astute of me, eh?” 

“And then you were like, ‘In the morning, I’ll be sober, but you’ll still be married.’” Kate, at this point, had her head in her hands. 

“I’m an embarrassment.” 

“I believe you said that that night as well,” said Rana, coming through the door. “Your sad drunk puppy face nearly broke my heart.” 

“Oh go on, you,” said Kate. “If you’d just listened to my voicemail.” 

“Oh shut up about the voicemail, would you.” 

“What voicemail?” asked Alya. Kate and Rana both sighed. 

“So, Alya…” Rana began.

The three women gathered around chatting for hours about everything that had happened between Kate and Rana for months and months with Alya none the wiser. Every once in awhile Alya, would say, “Ohhh….,” realizing a moment she completely missed what was going on. She couldn’t believe she’d been in the loo when Rana barged in drunk and, inspired by Rosie the philosopher, brazenly kissed Kate. Or that when she’d been peering through Speed Daal’s front window, Rana had Kate’s shirt off in the back. Or that it was Rana’s visit to the flat as Sophie was unpacking that led Kate to call it all off. 

Alya had a lot of mixed feelings about everything. After all, her brother was now nursing a broken heart. But she couldn’t help but feel that these two had had to find their way to each other, that they didn’t have a choice in loving each other. They made sense to her, perhaps in a way that Rana and Zeedan never had. As for Kate and Rana, they were relieved that Alya seemed to be coming around, and were high on the chance to talk openly with a friend about what they’d found in one another, to be able to laugh at the funnier moments, reflect on some of the tougher moments and just feel normal. 

When it was time for the sick and weary Rana to get some rest, Kate looked at Alya as if for permission, “Do you mind if she…” 

“No, I know you two won’t be getting up to much in this state.” 

“Thanks, Alya,” said Rana, shuffling into Kate’s room. 

“I’ll be right in. I’m just going to make you a quick brew and get you some water.” 

“Thanks, babe,” said Rana, grimacing as she let the term of endearment slip. “Sorry, Alya.” 

“It’s fine, Rana. After everything I just heard…” 

 

As Kate brought Rana her liquids, setting them down beside her, she lightly kissed her on the cheek. “What a day, huh?” 

“Is it bad that I’m happy I got the flu?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, now everyone knows. Alya knows, and it’s not the end of the world. Our second proper date can be right in town. And I’ll expect a kiss on the lips.” Kate smiled. 

“We’ll just have to get you better so we can have that date. As for that kiss,” she said, kissing Rana full on the mouth.

“Thank you,” said Rana, grinning.

“Let’s hope you don’t get sick now too.” 

“Well then you’ll have to take care of me. You _are_ the nurse in this relationship.” 

“Mmm,” said Rana, turning her back to Kate. 

“Until then, get those arms around me, woman.” 

“Yes, dear.”


End file.
